By Ewen McRae
Thieves have stolen plants from the Melton Botanic Garden in the dead of night.
Three quiver trees were taken in late May from the Southern African bed near the depot in the north of the garden.
The distinctive trees had only recently been planted by volunteers.
Friends of the Melton Botanic Garden president John Bentley said it was disappointing to see the hard work of volunteers undone.
“As a group we’ve had to raise funds to acquire these plants, so it is disappointing to see the efforts of the volunteers treated this way,” Mr Bentley said.
“They’re quite valuable trees, and would have been a really good feature in the garden in a few years’ time.
“The real shame with this theft is these trees are very hard to grow in Melbourne, but we’ve created an environment for them to thrive.”
The trees are roughly a metre high, with a distinctive arrow shape at the top.
Mr Bentley said this theft was part of a larger problem for the group.
“It has been happening on a more regular basis in the last six months,” he said.
“We’ve had bulbs taken, and other plants that will survive transplanting.
“We’re hoping some residents nearby might come forward if they’ve seen something or might have camera footage.”
Melton council operation manager Leslie Stokes said while plant thefts were concerning, it was not a widespread problem.
“Plant theft is not a common occurrence in the municipality,” Mr Stokes said.
“In the past year, we have experienced a low percentage of plant thefts, consistent with previous years.
“It’s always disappointing when thefts do occur within the city’s open space.
“This theft is particularly disappointing for council and for those who volunteer their time to work in the botanic garden.”
